Letter to Editor: Vote Out Abusive Commissioners

Tom Wolf, Dave Menden and Joe Wagner are . Residents of Scott County should vigorously debate the ethical and moral standards of individuals we want for office. Under the leadership of Board Chair Tom Wolf, Dave Menden and Joe Wagner, we have seen the most flagrant abuse of personal power and civic malfeasance in the history of Scott County.  

On October 17, 2011, Board Chair Tom Wolf met with an employee of Scott County to explain that he and Commissioners Wagner and Menden had a plan to oust Gary Shelton as Scott County Administrator. They had a list of grievances and asked the employee to expand the list of bogus charges and present them as statements of fact. Once these charges were formally presented to Scott County, all of us were dragged into this mess. The real work of Scott County was delayed as these charges took more time and emotional energy of staff, residents and the wider community.

We also know the outcome of this case. Because employees of Scott County told the truth and stood up to these accusations by the employee and these Commissioners,  all of the charges were dismissed. None of them were true! This scathing report was presented at the March 20, 2012 Scott County Board meeting; if you like public scandal, see it on the Scott County website ().

During this election season, citizens, community organizations, and religious groups should challenge these three candidates on why they are spending thousands of tax-payer dollars to tear apart our community rather than focusing on the real issues in the County? These Commissioners accept excellent pay and benefits from Scott County while spending less time on jobs, health care, education and other priorities. Men and women who have had other experiences with these three Commissioners should share in community meetings and blogs how they have been treated and what results were achieved.

The question for Scott County residents is this:  Do we want people to serve as Scott County Commissioners who have plotted to bring down their own County Administrator and smeared the reputation of Scott County, or do we want real public servants?  Scott County residents should debate these issues until election day and then Vote them out of office!!!

Lloyd Erbaugh

Prior Lake